The present invention relates to cellular communication services. More particularly, the invention relates to a pre-paid cellular telephone service.
Cellular telephones are fast becoming a necessity in today""s world. Almost every person has, in one way or another, access to a cellular telephone. The service that the cellular telephone requires generally takes one of two forms. A first form is contract-based subscription with a cellular service provider (e.g. xe2x80x9cproviderxe2x80x9d). The user is usually billed on a monthly basis for the service. While a deposit may be required to initiate service, the user pays for the monthly services used at the end of the month, after having already used the services. Thus, credit must be extended to the user so as to allow the payment to follow the provision of services. However, certain users may not qualify for such credit. In addition, certain users wish to remain anonymous and do not wish to establish a record of calls made or received. Accordingly, users are offered a second option, namely pre-paid cellular services.
Providers offering pre-paid cellular services allow the user the option of paying for a predetermined amount of services prior to using the service. Thus, the provider is not extending credit to the user, as payment for the services is made in advance.
Typically, a user wishing to purchase pre-paid services from a provider, buys a card carrying a first code, which corresponds to a credit level. The user then telephones the provider, tells an operator the first code, and obtains an authorization code that, when keyed into the cellular unit, enables service. The user is then able to use the service until the credit is exhausted. In another form, the user purchases an electronic card from the provider. The electronic card carries a code that enables the cellular unit for a predetermined time.
There is, however, no convenient way to replenish credit for a pre-paid service. In addition, the authorization process is cumbersome and sometimes results in failure due to human errors in undertaking the authorization transaction. Therefore, there is a need for a convenient and efficient method for authorizing the use of pre-paid cellular units.
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method for authorizing cellular service is provided. The system provides a convenient and efficient way to transmit authorization codes to customers. The system does not require human operators and therefore has cost saving advantages.